Thursday, February 5, 2015

Mistfall: The Borderlands

The Valskyrr is a dangerous place, dominated by three distinct types of terrain and three distinct types of enemies, each with their own way of making the life of Heroes a challenging one. We start our Mistfall journey with the Borderlands inhabited by brigands, sorcerers and shady characters that inhabit them.

Edge of Civilization

What is now commonly known as the Borderlands used to be inhabited by the Valskyrrians up until the time the Mists took hold of beastmen, raised the dead and darkened the minds of some humans, either making them go mad, or drawing from their darkest instincts, making their lust for power and their malice two dominating features.

The landscape of the Borderlands is filled with remnants of what used to exist there. Burned villages, abandoned shrines, keeps and watchtowers struck down by an ancient battles, and reclaimed by the wilds. Once filled with light and life, now are usually twisted in places of a dark cult or steeped in decade old ice brought on by dark magic and the cruel Valskyrrian winds.

Art by Enggar Adirasa

Borderlands in the Game

In game terms, the Borderlands locations can still offer the Heroes a small boon, such as an opportunity to scout out some adjacent terrain or find a cache hidden away by the previous inhabitants. But entering a Borderlands location can also mean losing some of the Heroes’ resolve, as seeing the influence of the Mists and the destruction they bring can truly be a depressing site.

The enemies typical for this terrain are mostly humans – unwitting servants of the Mists, who embraced its power and allowed it to guide their fate. Join me next time, as I take a closer look at what the Heroes can expect from them – and why they can sometimes be the most formidable of all the inhabitants of the Valskyrr.